Morrow County Sentinelhttp://morrowcountysentinel.com
Sun, 02 Aug 2015 10:01:09 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3A helping hand for Ohio’s college-bound foster kidshttp://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1916/a-helping-hand-for-ohios-college-bound-foster-kids
http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1916/a-helping-hand-for-ohios-college-bound-foster-kids#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 10:01:09 +0000http://morrowcountysentinel.com/?p=1916]]>COLUMBUS – It’s getting close to back-to-school time, and one group of college-bound Ohioans is getting a little extra help making higher education a reality.

The Ohio Reach program is connecting former foster youth to financial aid, housing, mentoring and other supports in their college journey. Kimberly Rhyan is a campus liaison for the program at Columbus State Community College, and as a former foster youth she understands the challenges these students face.

“Most 18- to 21-year-olds who are in college always know there is a place called home,” she said, “and I think for foster youth they’re put into a group and they’re kind of forgotten about and people don’t realize that they need those extra supports.”

An estimated 3,000 former foster youths between 18 and 21 live in Ohio. Ohio Reach program coordinator William Murray said many of them have limited means and opportunities.

“Only 9 percent will receive their bachelor degree by the age of 26,” he said. “That’s a very dismal rate, and so one of the things that we can definitely take from this is to have people who want to get involved to start – not necessarily when they get to college but even beforehand – to prepare them for the tools that they’ll need to succeed.”

At Columbus State, the program helped develop a scholar network, which provides ongoing pre-college workshops. Rhyan said it helps students get a fresh start.

“As soon as they identify as a former foster youth, there might be a stigma attached,” she said, “and so really what we’re hoping to accomplish through the Scholar Network is to create a safe community where they can come together and lean on one another and realize that they’re not here alone.”

Ohio Reach recently awarded $60,000 to four colleges to provide mentoring for foster-care alumni this fall: Central State and Ohio universities and Columbus State and Cuyahoga community colleges. The mentoring programs will support educational retention and graduation.

The legislation, H.B. 50, is online at legislature.ohio.gov.

Attaining a post-secondary education often is a struggle for former foster youths who have to go it alone without the support of a family. The Ohio Reach program is connecting these young adults to financial aid, mentoring and other supports in their college journey.

http://morrowcountysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_gr-47288-1-1.jpgAttaining a post-secondary education often is a struggle for former foster youths who have to go it alone without the support of a family. The Ohio Reach program is connecting these young adults to financial aid, mentoring and other supports in their college journey.

By Mary Kuhlman

Ohio News Connection

]]>http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1916/a-helping-hand-for-ohios-college-bound-foster-kids/feed0Chow Line: As mercury rises, beat the heat with waterhttp://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1914/chow-line-as-mercury-rises-beat-the-heat-with-water
http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1914/chow-line-as-mercury-rises-beat-the-heat-with-water#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 10:00:07 +0000http://morrowcountysentinel.com/?p=1914]]>Do we really need to drink more water when the weather is hot?

If you’re outdoors when it’s hot and sticky, and you become hot and sticky yourself, then, yes, that’s a good signal that you should drink more water.

You might not think much about it, but water is the most abundant substance in your body. Each and every organ in your body needs water to do its job. Water serves as a medium where chemical reactions take place — and the body is a veritable 24-hours-a-day laboratory bustling with such reactions. Water also helps control body heat through perspiration and helps lubricate your knees, elbows and other joints. And it does other jobs, as well — too many to list here.

As your body uses all that water, and loses it from perspiration, urination and other functions, the water needs to be replaced.

While you might need to consume a few ounces of protein, carbohydrate and even some healthful fats in your daily diet, you need a lot more water: It’s recommended that men get 3.7 liters of water a day, and women, 2.7 liters. And in certain situations, such as very hot weather, your body needs more than normal.

But before you start lugging around 2-liter bottles filled with H2O, it’s important to know that you do get quite a bit of water from other beverages and even from foods. With foods, fruits and vegetables generally contain the most water — watermelon is about 91 percent water by weight; raw broccoli, 89 percent. But even other foods such as beans, chicken, pasta and bread contain ample amounts of water that your body can put to use.

That said, don’t discount the need for a glass — or actually about eight — of good old-fashioned water each day. That’s about the amount of fluids you should drink to accompany the water you’re getting from food. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, the body’s need for water varies from day to day, with more needed when you experience:

* Higher levels of physical activity. During exercise, the academy advises “drink early and often.”

* Exposure to extreme temperatures, either hot or cold. You need water to maintain a normal body temperature.

* Exposure to dry air, such as heated or recirculated air.

* High altitudes. At about 8,200 feet, your heart rate as well as urine output could increase, both of which require you to drink more water.

* Pregnancy, which increases the recommendation for fluid intake for women to 3.8 liters a day.

* Illness that includes fever, diarrhea or vomiting. Plenty of fluids are needed to prevent dehydration.

* Eating a high-fiber diet. The body needs more water to process the fiber through the intestines.

* Nutritionists generally recommend water as the top choice as a beverage. Not only is it calorie-free, it’s cheap from the tap and provides everything your body needs to replenish fluids. So, tip back your glass and enjoy, knowing you’re doing your body good.

—-

Chow Line is a service of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and its outreach and research arms, Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Send questions to Chow Line, c/o Martha Filipic, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1043, or filipic.3@osu.edu.

Do we really need to drink more water when the weather is hot?

http://morrowcountysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_chow_072415_494040875.jpgDo we really need to drink more water when the weather is hot?

Staff report

]]>http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1914/chow-line-as-mercury-rises-beat-the-heat-with-water/feed0Agriculture briefs – Aug. 1http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1912/agriculture-briefs-aug-1
http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1912/agriculture-briefs-aug-1#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 11:36:43 +0000http://morrowcountysentinel.com/?p=1912]]>ONLINE TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE 2015 FARM SCIENCE REVIEW – Tickets for the 2015 Farm Science Review are now available for purchase online at http://fsr.osu.edu/onlineticketform/, allowing attendees to bypass gate sales by purchasing tickets in advance of the annual three-day farm show to be held Sept. 22-24 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.

This is the third year for online ticket sales, and the option is becoming more and more popular among attendees, said Matt Sullivan, assistant manager of the Farm Science Review, which is sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.

“Our online ticket sales have increased each year since it’s been an option,” he said. “It allows attendees that are visiting from out-of-state to purchase tickets at a $3 discounted price compared to purchasing tickets at the gate.”

Another advantage to purchasing tickets online is that there is no limit to the number of tickets that can be purchased, so large groups attending from out-of-state can pre-order tickets all at once, said Sullivan.

Online tickets are available to purchase for $7 until Sept. 11. Tickets ordered online will be mailed to the buyer.

Advance tickets for the Farm Science Review are also available at all Ohio State University Extension county offices and many local agribusinesses for $7. Tickets are $10 at the gate. Children 5 and under are admitted free. Show hours are 8 a.m to 5 p.m. Sept. 22-23 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 24.

More information about the Farm Science Review is at fsr.osu.edu/visitors.

OH, DEER! WORKSHOP SET ON MANAGING BACKYARD WILDLIFE CONFLICTS – Seen coyotes near your home? Do deer eat your shrubs down to nubs? Get tips on what to do in a workshop led by wildlife experts Stan Gehrt and Marne Titchenell of The Ohio State University.

The Good, the Bad and the Hungry: Managing Wildlife Conflicts in Your Landscape is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 7 at the Wood County Park District’s W.W. Knight Nature Preserve, 29530 White Road in Perrysburg, near Toledo. Registration is $35, includes lunch and is needed by noon Aug. 3.

Get details and a link to online registration and payment at go.osu.edu/08-07WildlifeWorkshop.

OSU EXTENSION: “SUPERFRUITS” COULD OFFER OHIO GROWERS ALTERNATIVE INCOME SOURCE; WORKSHIP SET FOR AUG. 20 – The potential market for so-called “superfruits” in Ohio could offer growers an additional income stream thanks to increasingly health-conscious consumers and ongoing research that finds these plants can grow well in the Buckeye state.

That’s according to a fruit crop expert with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University, who said that based on research trials of elderberry, aronia berry and Chinese goji berry plants at Ohio State’s South Centers in Piketon, the berries are a viable option for Ohio growers.

Fruits such as these, which are also known as super berries because of their nutrition quotient including a rich antioxidant content, are growing well in the research trials, said Gary Gao, an Ohio State University Extension specialist and associate professor of small fruit crops. OSU Extension is the college’s outreach arm.

The Superberry Project is funded by a specialty crop block grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Gao and his team planted six varieties of elderberries, three varieties of Chinese goji berries and one variety of aronia berries for the trial at the South Centers. Some plants were installed last year and some more mature plants were added this year.

To help berry growers — new and experienced alike — learn how to produce elderberry, aronia, goji and other berries, horticulture and viticulture experts from the college are offering a Super Berry School Aug. 20. The program is 6-9 p.m. at the OSU South Centers’ Endeavor Center, 1862 Shyville Road, in Piketon.

Registration for the workshop is $25 and includes the program, handouts, a light dinner and refreshments. Contact Charissa McGlothin at 740-289-2071, ext. 132, to register or for more information. The deadline to register is Aug. 17.

Tickets for the 2015 Farm Science Review are now available for purchase online at http://fsr.osu.edu/onlineticketform/, allowing attendees to bypass gate sales by purchasing tickets in advance of the annual three-day farm show to be held Sept. 22-24 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.

http://morrowcountysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Farm-Science-Review-Field-Demo-2012_1.jpgTickets for the 2015 Farm Science Review are now available for purchase online at http://fsr.osu.edu/onlineticketform/, allowing attendees to bypass gate sales by purchasing tickets in advance of the annual three-day farm show to be held Sept. 22-24 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.

]]>http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1910/gas-prices-aug-1/feed0Cleaning up state constitutionshttp://morrowcountysentinel.com/opinion/1901/cleaning-up-state-constitutions
http://morrowcountysentinel.com/opinion/1901/cleaning-up-state-constitutions#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 10:54:42 +0000http://morrowcountysentinel.com/?p=1901]]>“It’s difficult for me to get excited about rewriting the [Michigan] Constitution solely for the sake of appearances.”

— Devin Schindler

Western Michigan University law school

“Taking racist language out of the [Alabama] Constitution is sooner or later going to happen.”

— Wayne Flint

Auburn University law school

With the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month in Obergefell v. Hodges, the Ohio Constitution, and the constitutions of many other states, are left with language that bars the solemnization and recognition of same-sex marriages, but that is unconstitutional and unenforceable. Most states that have this language had it inserted into their state constitutions by popular vote. What now becomes of this language and what does it now mean?

There is no suggestion that this language is still valid nor is there any argument that states could enforce it without drawing costly federal lawsuits that those states would absolutely lose. The problem is that leaving the language in place can be confusing and lead to future errors, but removing it is a complicated and potentially expensive process.

Earlier this week, the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia released a report on outdated state constitutional language that highlighted these issues. It noted that the rise in voter-approved constitutional amendments to cover issues that had previously been handled by legislative action was adding to the problem. (Consider, for example, the issues of casino gambling and marijuana legalization in Ohio that are or were legislative prohibitions but that have been attacked at the ballot box by constitutional amendment rather than by initiative or legislative action.)

One such example is flag burning. Two separate decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court have found that the burning of any flag, including the U.S. flag, is constitutionally protected free speech. Yet, 47 states have laws that prohibit flag burning. Ohio Revised Code section 2927.11 is one such law and makes it a misdemeanor of the second degree to purposefully deface, damage or physically mistreat the U.S. flag. Only Wisconsin, Wyoming and Alaska do not have active laws against flag burning and Alaska appears to be the only state that has never had one.

Statutes are easy to fix when compared to state constitutional provisions, however. The method of amending a state constitution varies from state to state but very often requires a majority or supermajority vote of the state’s citizens. The Obergefell decision certainly isn’t the only example of outdated and ineffective provisions. Michigan still has a requirement that all voters be at least 21 years old (in direct conflict with the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution). Maryland still has a provision that requires a religious test for candidates for public office, despite the Supreme Court striking that provision down in 1961 and seven other states have a similar provision.

Several states currently have or are looking at committees to recommend a constitutional “clean-up.” Ohio and Michigan are among them. In Michigan, it’s the Citizens Research Council and here in Ohio, it’s the Constitutional Modernization Commission, funded by the Ohio General Assembly, made up of lawyers, judges, state officials and others and chaired by former Supreme Court Administrator Steve Hollon. The commission was originally slated to operate into 2021, but the most recent Ohio budget terminates their funding at the end of this biennium on June 30, 2017.

We can take some solace in Ohio, though. The National Constitution Center points out that our state constitution has relatively minor problems compared to that of Alabama, which has the wordiest constitution of any government in the world. Alabama’s state constitution has more than 800 amendments — so many that even simple legislative actions like local mosquito-spraying ordinances now have to be approved by constitutional amendment in the state. Worse yet, there is significant language about segregated schools and numerous other racist provisions. But a 2012 effort to remove that language revealed that the entire document is so convoluted that simple changes weren’t simple at all.

Ohioans can call for a state constitutional convention every 20 years but have not done so since 1912. The Constitutional Modernization Commission and a similar commission in the late 1960s have been formed in their place. Any recommendations coming out of that commission will need approval by the voters of Ohio.

David Hejmanowski is the judge of the Probate/Juvenile Division of Delaware County Common Pleas Court.

]]>http://morrowcountysentinel.com/opinion/1901/cleaning-up-state-constitutions/feed0Thomas Lucente: Let PBS stations go darkhttp://morrowcountysentinel.com/opinion/1899/thomas-lucente-let-pbs-stations-go-dark
http://morrowcountysentinel.com/opinion/1899/thomas-lucente-let-pbs-stations-go-dark#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 10:54:25 +0000http://morrowcountysentinel.com/?p=1899]]>Some 90 years ago, in wholly un-American fashion, the U.S. government nationalized an important resource: The radio spectrum.

“If this resource had been oil, coal, lumber, or steel, the American people would have been outraged and would not have stood for it,” wrote Adam D. Thierer some 15 years ago. “Yet this resource — the electromagnetic wireless spectrum — was simply unknown to most Americans, so few knew or cared.”

As is common to regulated resources, the government has used its control over the spectrum to flex its muscles to silent unpopular opinions and to act as a barrier to entry, lowering competition, raising prices, and blocking innovations that might threaten industry leaders. The regulatory power has been used to suppress FM for decades. Cable TV was blocked for many years as was satellite TV, satellite radio and FM micro broadcasters.

Also, because of the oversight of the FCC, the largest censorship body in the world, free expression over the government-owned spectrum is illusory, a sham.

This nearly century old experiment in public ownership of a valuable resource has been an utter failure. Privatization of the spectrum is essential. Property rights, private contracts, and the common law, rather than government bureaucrats, should govern disputes over the electromagnetic spectrum.

Unfortunately, when government seizes a resource, it rarely gives it up.

Still, the FCC has spent the last three years moving toward an incentive auction, set for next year. It’s pretty hilarious because the FCC has cloaked this in some sort of “free market” solution to satisfy the growing spectrum needs of wireless providers. Of course, the market would never take four years to implement the sale of a valuable resource.

Television stations have four choices: relinquish all spectrum and stop broadcasting, channel-share with another station, switch from UHF to a lesser-quality VHF signal, or not participate. They have until the fall to decide.

The sale is a good first step. And it has the added benefit of attracting that other pocket of broadcast socialism, public television.

Public television, aka state-run media, is an anachronism in 21st century America and, essentially, a subsidy for the entertainment of the rich, which makes it odd that leftists are in such a tizzy to save Public Broadcasting Stations that are considering taking the big check and cutting their losses. For example, WBGU in Bowling Green could net as much as $40 million and WGTE is looking at a possible $55 million pay day.

Certainly public television programming has value. I would write a check for the programming today if the government would end its funding of public broadcasting and let these great shows compete for viewers in the marketplace.

There really is no need in today’s multimedia world for the government to subsidize broadcasting. If a broadcast program is good enough, it does not need government funding.

What I find ironic is that funding of public broadcasting is a cause carried mostly by leftists. Yet, those same leftists often complain loudly about tax cuts for the rich. What do they think government funding of public broadcasting is?

It is a tax cut for the rich.

PBS is largely the domain of affluent baby boomers. Similarly, National Public Radio told advertisers several years ago that its listeners were 66 percent wealthier than the average American and 150 percent more likely to be professionals or managers.

These people can afford to pay for such programming if they want it. Let’s face it, tax-funded broadcasting, as well as other tax-funded cultural activities such as art and music, is a transfer of wealth to the rich from the middle class, which is taxed to pay for the news and entertainment of the upper middle class.

Now we see why the wealthy are so opposed to public broadcasting stations going dark. They lose their free entertainment bought on the backs of the middle class.

Clearly, public broadcasting is anachronistic in today’s wired world where Americans suffer from media overload.

It would be in the best interest of the nation if public broadcasting stations would relinquish their spectrum to wireless providers who will provide the best and highest use of that valuable resource.

]]>http://morrowcountysentinel.com/opinion/1899/thomas-lucente-let-pbs-stations-go-dark/feed0ONU professor teaches Optimists how to pitchhttp://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1897/onu-professor-teaches-optimists-how-to-pitch
http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1897/onu-professor-teaches-optimists-how-to-pitch#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 10:51:25 +0000http://morrowcountysentinel.com/?p=1897]]>LIMA — If people meet opportunity in an elevator, or anywhere, it’s good to be prepared.

That’s why Tammy Schakett, assistant professor of entrepreneurship at Ohio Northern University, offered the Lima Noon Optimist Club some tips on how to create an “elevator pitch” at the group’s meeting on Wednesday.

The pitch is a communication, sales and networking tool that involves pitching ideas, people, companies and more to people in under 60 seconds, Schakett said.

“You want to have down pat a description of your business you can present in 60 seconds or less,” Schakett said.

She teaches her entrepreneurship students how to do them each semester in her class, and then they compete in teams for the best pitch.

Schackett condensed her class presentation down to about 20 minutes for the optimist club, outlining how to write a pitch and what should be in it.

“People are looking for different things, so how are you going to brand yourself as an individual?” she said. “Concentrate on what you’re good at, what are your core competencies, what makes you better than the competition?”

It’s also important for people to memorize the pitch, without sounding too robotic and practiced, she said.

“Know it in your heart, know what you’re going to say so you’re not stumbling,” Schakett said. “If you’re passionate about your message, it will flow naturally. You’ve got to come across as passionate about what your message is.”

Schakett shared about some personal experiences where she’s met someone and been left wondering exactly what it is they do for a living. She warned the attendees not to do that, and to leave out any technical jargon in the pitch.

“You want to start out with something that’s going to catch their attention,” she said.

The parts of an elevator pitch are the problem statement, value proposition, target market, competition, team, financials, milestones and “the ask,” she said.

A good pitch has about six to eight strong, short and powerful sentences that relate to each other, she said.

“Practice, practice, practice, practice,” Schakett said at the end, with the hope that she instilled in the attendees a sense of confidence in their ability to sell themselves or their business.

Danae King | The Lima News Tammy Schakett, an assistant professor at Ohio Northern University, speaks to the Lima Noon Optimist Club about creating an elevator pitch at the group’s meeting on Wednesday.

http://morrowcountysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_ElevatorPitch.jpgDanae King | The Lima News Tammy Schakett, an assistant professor at Ohio Northern University, speaks to the Lima Noon Optimist Club about creating an elevator pitch at the group’s meeting on Wednesday.

By Danae King

dking@civitasmedia.com

Reach Danae King at 567-242-0511 or on Twitter @DanaeKing.

]]>http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1897/onu-professor-teaches-optimists-how-to-pitch/feed0Legal-Ease: Three tips for underground utility agreementshttp://morrowcountysentinel.com/opinion/1895/legal-ease-three-tips-for-underground-utility-agreements
http://morrowcountysentinel.com/opinion/1895/legal-ease-three-tips-for-underground-utility-agreements#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 10:46:28 +0000http://morrowcountysentinel.com/?p=1895]]>Anyone who owns a house or any real estate can expect to eventually be approached by some government or utility company asking for permission to install a buried water, sewer, gas or other line, pipe or tile.

Usually, the government or utility company does not want to purchase any portion of the property. Instead, the request is usually for a permanent right to use a three-dimensional geographic area under the ground.

Practically speaking, the government or utility company wants the right to do three things: dig trenches; install lines, pipes or tiles in those trenches; and cover the trenches. In exchange for that right, the government or utility company will frequently offer the property owner some money. To be binding, such an agreement must also be in writing and recorded in the courthouse. Therefore, governments and utility companies usually present standard form paperwork to affected landowners for signatures.

The standard form paperwork usually explains that the utility company has a permanent right to re-dig on the property if the installed item eventually, someday needs repair. The utility company usually agrees in vague language that it will replace the property to its prior condition if repairs are made in the future. Governments and utility companies love standard form paperwork. And, standard form paperwork is sometimes better than nothing. However, I almost always make three improvements to a standard underground utility form agreement to protect the landowner.

First, if there is a need to repair the installed utility, the repair must be started and concluded within a certain period of time, usually a week. This helps the property owner avoid having his or her property is a never-ending state of construction.

Second, if the installation or repair of the utility line disturbs grass, shrubs or flowers, the government or utility company must reimburse the property owner for the value to replace the grass, shrubs or flowers to landowner satisfaction. Sometimes, governments or utility companies agree to replace those items themselves. However, giving complete discretion to someone other than the landowner can result in inferior replacements.

If the utility line is located under farmland, insist that the damages to crops be calculated using Ohio State University’s published enterprise budgets for agriculture. Enterprise budgets include reasonable, average statistical estimates of profit, not just reimbursement for the costs incurred by the farmer.

Finally, standard written agreements usually indicate that all trenches will be brought back to grade after installation or repair of the underground line. Anyone can dig a hole and fill it back in, but there can be long-term damage if valuable topsoil (that produces beautiful grass, flowers, shrubs and productive crops) is buried below some hard-as-road clay subsoil when a trench is re-filled.

My third recommendation is intended to ensure that the topsoil is properly replaced on top. The language that I recommend to add to most standard agreements requires that each distinct soil layer be separately removed, segregated, stockpiled and then properly replaced and regraded consistent with the adjacent undisturbed land.

Lee R. Schroeder is an Ohio licensed attorney at Schroeder Law LLC in Putnam County. He limits his practice to business, real estate, estate planning and agriculture issues in northwest Ohio. He can be reached at Lee@LeeSchroeder.com or at 419-523-5523. This article is not intended to serve as legal advice, and specific advice should be sought from the licensed attorney of your choice based upon the specific facts and circumstances that you face.

]]>http://morrowcountysentinel.com/opinion/1895/legal-ease-three-tips-for-underground-utility-agreements/feed0Report: Heat leads to more vehicle breakdownshttp://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1893/report-heat-leads-to-more-vehicle-breakdowns
http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1893/report-heat-leads-to-more-vehicle-breakdowns#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 10:01:06 +0000http://morrowcountysentinel.com/?p=1893]]>The recent heat is leading to an increase in vehicle breakdowns. AAA Ohio Auto Club responds to hundreds more calls on a hot, humid summer day than on a cooler summer day. Most of these calls are packed into the hottest part of the day, between the hours of 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Emergency road service crews respond to about 1,200-1,300 calls per day in AAA Ohio Auto Club’s 38-county territory when high temperatures hit the 80s and 90s. While crews aim to get motorists back on the go, without having to tow them, the heat causes more hard breakdowns on vehicle electrical and cooling systems, which require tows.

Automotive experts say many of these breakdowns can be prevented with the following routine maintenance:

* Check tire pressure and condition monthly: Changes in temperature can affect tire pressure, which can cause uneven wear and shorten the life of a tire. In addition, worn tires can’t grip the road during wet weather conditions, which can lead to hydroplaning.

* Check battery twice a year: Vehicle batteries typically last 3-5 years. Heat degrades a battery’s interior components of and shortens its life. Depending on the demands of the vehicle electrical system and driving habits, prolonged heat can even be harder on a battery than cold.

* Maintain engine cooling system: Cooling systems must work extra hard during hot weather to keep engines from overheating. Coolant protects the radiator and internal engine components. Over time coolant degrades, and needs to be changed. Neglecting this can lead to long-term engine damage. Rubber cooling system components will also deteriorate in extreme heat. Motorists should inspect hoses and drive belts for cracking, bulges, soft spots or other signs of poor condition.

* Top off fluids: Most fluids not only lubricate, but also serve as coolants by carrying heat away from critical engine components. When fluid levels are low, this cooling effect is reduced, and the probability of overheating increases. It’s important to keep up on routine oil changes, as reputable shops will also inspect other fluid levels when changing the oil.

Even with proper maintenance, summer breakdowns can still occur. AAA recommends every driver have an emergency kit in their vehicle, which includes water, non-perishable food items, jumper cables, a flashlight with extra batteries, emergency reflectors, basic hand tools and a first aid kit.

As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 55 million members with travel-, insurance-, financial- and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.

Auto experts offer tips to avoid heat-related breakdowns

Staff report

]]>http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/1893/report-heat-leads-to-more-vehicle-breakdowns/feed0Medicaid at 50: The value of covering Ohio kidshttp://morrowcountysentinel.com/features/health/1892/medicaid-at-50-the-value-of-covering-ohio-kids
http://morrowcountysentinel.com/features/health/1892/medicaid-at-50-the-value-of-covering-ohio-kids#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 10:00:07 +0000http://morrowcountysentinel.com/?p=1892]]>COLUMBUS – Over one million Ohio children – about 46 percent – receive visits to the doctor, prescriptions and other medical care through Medicaid, and a new report underscores the lifelong value of the program as it turns 50 this week.

Report co-author Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, says the study compiles research gathered over the last several years on the lives of individuals who received Medicaid as children in the 1980s and 90s.

“What’s so interesting about this new research is it’s showing that when these kids grow up, there are so many ways Medicaid has benefited them,” says Alker. “Their health is better, their educational success is better and their economic outcomes are improved.”

The study found that children covered by Medicaid had lower rates of drinking and smoking as teenagers, plus lower rates of obesity and fewer hospital visits as adults.

Some governors and legislatures are still opposed to the idea of expanding Medicaid in their states, citing its federal ties and cost to taxpayers.

Sandy Oxley, CEO of Voices for Ohio’s Children, says the investments Ohio has made over the last 50 years to support children’s health coverage has been essential to their growth – and to the future of the state.

“Investing in children’s health and economic security today is a smart use of taxpayer dollars that helps build a healthier, better-educated workforce for tomorrow,” she says.

The report also found that Americans enrolled in public health programs as children had higher incomes as adults, and required fewer tax subsidies.

Medicaid marks its 50th year of providing health coverage to low-income children in Ohio and around the nation this week, and research demonstrates the effects of the program on children’s health, education and economic outcomes.

http://morrowcountysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_gr-47394-1-1.jpgMedicaid marks its 50th year of providing health coverage to low-income children in Ohio and around the nation this week, and research demonstrates the effects of the program on children’s health, education and economic outcomes.